If debating Theology isn't quite your style, but you love God's Word, please use this forum to encourage and be encouraged by sharing scripture, your own devotions and short questions to ponder. This is not a place for debate or argument.

I just love sharing the word of God. It is an awesome privilege and responsbility. I do hope you are blessed by what I share. To handle the word of God, is amazing, it is like no other book.. amen

LET'S GET THE WORD OUT INTO THE WORLD

Please share these messages with your house group/prayer groups and contacts and also take time to view the links at the bottom of these messages

Thanks and God bless you

Keith

Noonday Devotion by Keith

1 Samuel 15

22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Saul was sent to totally destroy Agag and his armies. But he partially obeyed God and in God's eyes.. partial obedience is disobedience.

Saul was removed as king of Israel, because of this disobedience. For any Christian who thinks partial obedience is enough, be warned, the Lord sees it differently.

Look at what Saul says in verse 15, his excuse was that he spared the good things to sacrifice to the Lord. Putting this in context the Lord is saying, I don't want your sacrifices, I want your total obedience.. period!. The Children of Israel had so many sacrifices for so many different things. Saul probably thought that God would be satisfied with a ritual sacrifice.. but HE wasn't, and likewise with us.. God hates our ritual. God looks on our hearts and if obedience to His word and His commands are not paramount in your heart and mind, then you are in sin believer.

Disobedience is rebellion, surely a soldier in the army who disobeyed orders would have to be disciplined for this.

Disobeying God is SIN.. plain and simple.

Church.. God wants your obedience

God bless you

Keith

Teaching by Judy Smith

CAST DOWN IMAGERY"…Then said He unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door. And He said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here. So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about….Then said He unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? For they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth…" (Ezekiel: Chapter .

Imagery is what we THINK about; the picture that comes to mind with the thoughts we have. It’s what we wish for and it’s where we will focus much of our wake time. Our mind is where the majority of life’s battles are won or lost. It is the key area Satan can control if we allow him the access. It is at our THOUGHTS that we MUST take our authority in Jesus Christ and STOP them (Romans 1: 21-23; 12: 1-2; 2 Corinthians 10: 4-6)!

My dear brothers and sisters, the enemy knows you personally. He has his demons actively at work around you and they know every weakness you have. Satan will wait until just before you reach your destiny, your breakthrough, or purpose and then he’ll release all the dark secrets you have hidden as the very weapons for your destruction (Matthew 4: 1-3; Ephesians 6: 10-12). He’ll bring discouragement, feelings of failure, bitterness, anger, guilt, burnout, anxiety, depression, emptiness, hopelessness, lust, envy, jealousy, etc. into your thought-life/ mind in order to bring your ability to proclaim your victory in Jesus to a HALT! He will do whatever it takes to lock you up in his pit of darkness, doubt despair, and defeat. CHURCH, RESIST HIM, STAND FIRM in your faith (1 Peter 5: 8-11)!

There is not ONE person out there who has never had an attack of some sort from the enemy. Some people "just like us" were Adam and Eve (Genesis 3: 1-7) and King David, the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13: 14; 2 Samuel 11: 2-4). In both examples, they allowed the desires of their flesh nature to gain control and they acted on their thoughts instead of turning and running in the other direction (into God’s arms) (Matthew 5: 27-30). It is important to note that Scripture does NOT say God will RESIST the enemy for you, oh no. YOU MUST RESIST him and it begins at the thought level. I recently heard someone say that you can only think about what you know. How true that is.

What is it you immerse yourself in? What types of books, magazines, shows, videos, entertainment, friends, etc. do you spend time looking at, reading, or watching? Seventy elders of Israel allowed their thoughts to dwell on the perversions of the heathen nations around them. They painted the pictures on the tomb walls (darkness) of Solomon’s temple and offered incense to them; worshipping the images of their minds! The Scripture goes on to say, "The Lord seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth" (Ezekiel 8: 8-12). Are we any different? In the midst of your pain and discouragement, do you ever wonder if God is real? Yes, Scripture says He is, but it’s a book. Yes, Scripture says He’s going to return, but I don’t see it happening! Yes, Scripture says Jesus healed then and He can now, but my body hurts. Have you been dwelling on things to bring you pleasure for the moment, to help you get through the tough times? Have you painted images on the walls of your mind and are you spending more and more of your time worshipping them thinking God isn’t noticing, or that He doesn’t care (Revelation 2: 20-29)?

I like Isaiah 26: 3, "You will keep him in perfect peace, WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON YOU, because he trusts in You." Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. Seek to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. As you spend your time getting to know Him through His Word, you will begin to see that your thoughts are from Him as well, and your mind will no longer be at the mercy of impulsive thinking. MAKE THE CHOICE to turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of idols and look to Him and be saved (Isaiah 45: 22). James 4: 7, 8 says, "Submit yourselves then, to God. RESIST the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you…." My question this week: "What is drawn on the wall of your mind?"